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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Film Review: Cartel Land

This is the first film review I have done on the blog.
Though I have watched many documentaries with compelling narratives appropriate
for this blog this is the first one that grabbed me so powerfully that I feel
compelled to share it.

Cartel Land is a simple story showing how two different
groups are responding to the growing power of the Mexican cartels. The first is
a group of Minutemen patrolling a stretch of the Arizona border going by the
name of Arizona Border Recon. The area they patrol is well used by coyotes to
get migrants across the border. Tim "Nailer" Foley, the leader of
Arizona Border Recon, shares his worldview throughout the film. I will admit
that at first he comes across as a paranoid anti-government nut, but as the
feel progresses and he is able to present evidence that the area is used by
human smugglers then his narrative becomes more compelling. Nailer is a man who
sees the world in black and white, and some of his compatriots are exactly the
type of militia racists you expect. The documentarians capture his outrage often
through Nailer's consumption of media. Oftentimes right-wing cable news talking
heads are the lead in to whatever conversation he has with the film crew.

Most of the story focuses on the struggle within Mexico
itself in the state of Michoacan. In Michoacan local leaders come together to
form the Autodefensas, a civilian self-defence force with the stated mission of
driving out the cartels from the communities since the government will not act.
The documentarians spent a great deal of time with members of the Autodefensas,
but principally with its spokesperson, Dr. Jose Mireles.

In the case of the Mexican response to cartel violence I
do not want to go into very much detail. I found the arc of their story the
most fascinating part of the documentary. Every ten minutes presents a new
reveal that casts the entire experiment into a different light and the fact
that the documentarians caught it all on film is astounding. Sufficing to say,
at the opening of the film the Autodefensas is remarkably successful. A
collection of volunteers carrying horrifying amounts of weaponry successful
drive out the cartels from a handful of communities. They story of the
Autodefenses goes on from there. Speaking with a friend of mine more familiar
with Latin American history and politics, he shared with me that what the
documentary portrays is familiar to Mexican history and politics.

The scene that stuck out to me the most was early on in
the film when the Autodefensas liberate a town from the cartels. Shortly
afterward the military shows up and demands that the unauthorized civilian
militia disarm themselves and leave. What happens next sent a chill up my neck.
Called upon by the leaders of Autodefensas, civilians pour out of their homes
and defend them, badgering, insulting and resisting the army. What makes the
scene so compelling to me is that as a historian I felt like I was watching the
seeds of a revolution. I imagine similar scenes played out across the Arab
world during the Arab Spring or in Russia on the eve of its revolutions. There
was something so tangible about the anger of the crowd that the potential for
violence and active rebellion was just a misstep away.

How do we perceive vigilantes? It is very easy in the
start of this film to support Mireles and his followers in their attempts to
'take their country back', but at the same time we view Americans who espouse
the same rhetoric as a dangerous fringe. In both the United States and Mexico
there comes into question the real power of the state. If the state's duty is
to protect its citizens, uphold the rule of law and apply justice fairly it is
hard to say that that is occurring on either side of the border.

The pervasive corruption of institutions is also a major
theme in the documentary. Is it possible to have a fresh start, or does the
corrosive environment doom any reform? This needn't be applied only to the
vigilantes, but to political leaders as well. Ultimately this comes down to the
distortions of the drug war. Cartel Land offers a different take from many
documentaries I have seen on this topic. Drugs feature very little in the
documentary in a sense, but in the background is the fact that American demand
for narcotics is what is driving the chaos, violence and instability in Mexico.

The film is bookended by drugs, as if the director,
Matthew Heineman, wanted to say that this is actually what this is all about.
Everything that transpires in the intervening 90 minutes can be captures by
these Mexican cooks.

The United States
has much to answer for for what is going on in Mexico, but I would add that
Canadians have a responsibility to move past their blind ignorance as well.
Mexico is more than sunny beaches and tequila. As fellow North Americans it
should be incumbent upon us to try to support our friends in Mexico from this brutal
cycle of violence. I highly recommend this documentary and as of this post it
is available for free with your Netflix Canada subscription.